1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to information processing systems, devices, information processing apparatuses, information processing methods, and information processing programs and record media, and particularly, relates to an information processing system, a device, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method as well as an information processing program and record medium for use in the information processing system, which includes the device having a printer function and a scanner function and/or FAX function and the information processing apparatus connected to the device via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, research and development have been conducted with respect to multifunctional image input/output devices, which are referred to as multifunction peripherals or combined devices, in an effort to improve their compatibility with computers such as personal computers and also to provide added values through their use as part of document management systems. For example, there are commercially available products that have a VGA (video graphics array) display device implemented on the operation panel, and that serves as a combination of an image input/output device and a personal computer.
Further, it is now possible to perform remote control from a personal computer connected through a network. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose techniques that make it possible to check settings of a remote device from a personal computer and/or to change the settings from the personal computer. Through such functions, users can manipulate the device without actually going to the location of the device and actually operating the device.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-232635
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-281195
Despite these, it is still hard to say that collaboration between the devices and personal computers is sufficient. As a case in point, it is not possible to issue a print instruction from the operation panel of a multifunction peripheral to print a document stored in a personal computer, or to edit such a document from the operation panel of the multifunction peripheral. Because of this, after issuing a print instruction from a personal computer, the user may go to the location of the device and may take a look at the printed document, only to come back to the personal computer to finish his/her work upon noticing that the print setting was wrong or that there is a typographical error or the like. Namely, the problem is that the user may need to go back and forth between the personal computer and the device.
A technology is available that provides for documents stored in a multifunction peripheral or in a document management system associated with the multifunction peripheral to be printed from the multifunction peripheral. This technology, however, has a problem in that a document stored in a user personal computer cannot be printed immediately when such printing unexpectedly becomes necessary.
Accordingly, there is a need for an information processing system, a device, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing program and record medium, which can reduce inconvenience relating to the distance between a device such as a printer, scanner or FAX and an information processing apparatus connected to the device via a network.